Westgarth Wines’ Post

FALEZZE WINE ESTATE  THE LIFECYCLE OF A VINEYARD: 1BUDBARST 2EARLY SHOOT AND LEAF GROWTH 3FLOWERING AND FRUIT SET 4BERRY RIPENING 5HARVEST 6WINTER DORMACY ============================ THE VINEYARD IN THE SRING TIME In the springtime, the vine wakens from its winter slumber. Little brown buds on the bare wooden parts of the vine burst open, forming tiny green shoots, much like the trees and bushes in your garden or nearest park. Budburst As the spring weather gets warmer, a canopy of leaves starts to form as the green shoots continue to grow. If you look closely around this time you’ll see lots of tiny white flowers appearing on the vine – not the beautiful sort you’d want to display in a vase, but these unassuming flowers are nonetheless vital. Each flower that pollinates successfully is destined to become a grape. Curious to discover more? Our internationally recognised Level 1 Award in Wines is the perfect introduction to begin your journey in wine. Flowering vine When the grapes first form, they don’t look particularly appetising - in fact, they look more like peas than grapes! Like many other fruits, these little grapes will start to swell and ripen in the warmth and sunlight of the summer months. Eventually, they’ll start to change colour and begin to take on a more familiar appearance. THE VINEYARD IN AUTUMN In Autumn, the grapes have ripened sufficiently to have developed the right amount of colour, flavour, acid, tannin and, importantly, sugar. Once the grapes are ripe, it’s harvest time. Grape-picking is done either by hand or by machine. Sometimes the harvest takes place at night when it’s much cooler, so the grapes are fresher when they arrive at the winery. Vines only actually grow for about eight months of the year. In the Autumn they drop their leaves and remain dormant throughout the winter, conserving their energy for the next crop. Even a vine needs to rest at some point to keep producing its best work. #wineimports #winedistributors #GlobalWineImports #winetrade #winebusiness #wineindustry #winewholesalers contact us on for sales and exports saes.marketing@falezze.it falezzeit #internationalwinetrade #winesuppliers

These new #wines come from one of the highest-elevation vineyards in all of #California -- here's what that means for quality & flavor! My latest #wine column in the Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC

“"We #know we have to #adapt," says Avery Heelan, a #winemaker at #Larkmead Vineyards in #Calistoga, Calif. "We #can't just #pretend that it's #going to go #away, because all we see is #each year it's #getting more #and more #extreme." Still, #blending with #other grapes #comes with #risks. For a U.S. #wine to be #labeled cabernet, a #bottle must #contain 75% #cabernet grapes or #more. Any #less, and it's #considered a #red blend. #Blends typically #don't command the #same prices on store shelves as #cabernet, especially since #consumers are #accustomed to #picking U.S. #wines by the #name of the #grape. Moving #away from #cabernet would be a #major financial #gamble for #Napa's multibillion-dollar #wine industry.”

As wine enthusiasts, it's easy to get caught up in the latest consumer trends. But let's not forget about the foundation of it all - the vineyards. The #Sawis infographic below provides eye-opening statistics on the South African wine vineyard area across 10 regions. While the top 10 cultivars in area remain unchanged with Chenin Blanc taking the lead, it's interesting to see Sauvignon Blanc rise from #5 in 2013 to #2 in 2023. Let's keep a watchful eye on the backbone of our beloved industry. #winemaking #vineyards #SouthAfricanWine #Chenin #SauvignonBlanc #wineindustry #winetrends #SawisInfographic

Napa 2023 might be ‘the vintage of a lifetime’. Despite producers beginning harvest up to a month later than usual, 2023 is looking to be “one of the greats”, according to the latest California Vintners Report. #harvest2023 #napavalley #winebusiness #winemaking #californiawines #drinksbusiness https://lnkd.in/egCaaqs4

The decision to harvest a particular cultivar is one made after careful consideration. Viticulturists and winemakers are constantly assessing the weather conditions, the flowering, the berry set, and the vineyard health as guiding indicators of when to harvest. These keenly trained eyes and palates are earned, from years of working with each individual vineyard, tasting how the site ripens its grapes, and trusting oneself to make the call to harvest. The factor that still holds the most weight when deciding when to harvest is the taste of the grapes and the texture of the tannins from the skins. __________ #harvest2024 #winemaking #wineeducation

Why are field blends important to our 'pre-industrial' #winemaking approach? Field-blend vineyards are planted to not just one varietal, but multiple. Take the Pagani Ranch for example. You'll have #zinfandel vines next to #petitesirah vines and so on. These grapes are then picked together, brought to the winery, and fermented together. We believe the #wine starts in the #vineyard and that minimal intervention is needed from the winemaker. With this simple and perfected approach, a wonderful kind of consistency is achieved. How can these interplanted varietals possibly be ripe at the same time? "There was a method to the madness," says Head Winemaker John Olney. Watch our video "The Art of Field Blends" to hear John explain the science behind #fieldblend wines: https://lnkd.in/gPt49hiK #RidgeVineyards #farming #preindustrial #oldvines #zinfandel #sonomawine #vine #grapes #harvest #fallwine

Research is underway to learn more about how to assess smoke damage caused by wildfire before grapes are made into wine. #californiawineries #wildfireseason #wildfire https://lnkd.in/gjJ3xNAv

Wine Business - Evolution of world vineyard surface area The world's vineyard surface area continued its decline, shrinking by 0.5% from 2022 to 7.2 million hectares. This trend, observed for the third consecutive year, was driven by the removal of vineyards in major vine-growing regions (including all types of grapes) across both hemispheres. In 2023, the top 6 countries represent 56% of the world total, while the EU and the Southern Hemisphere account for 45% and 12%, respectively #vineyard #vineyards #winebusiness #wineindustry #winemarket #vinegrowing #vines